


if you see glowing eyes in the dark, RUN

by Jerevinan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Multi, alternative universe, yes both of those
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-11-08 12:27:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11081586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerevinan/pseuds/Jerevinan
Summary: Two vehicles, eight friends, and a week at Vesperpool National Park.The great outdoors, with fishing and cabins and hiking - what could go wrong? Well, for the guys' cabin?Everything.





	1. The Cabin

**Author's Note:**

> The world is peaceful AU? Well, kind of. I kept the daemons.
> 
> ...this started as a cabin-in-the-woods-teenage-cliché-horror-flick AU but keeps changing into who-knows-what with tropes of all kind, whoops

Their week isn’t supposed to turn out like this.

Noctis is certain their cabin is leaning a little to the right. The whole thing looks like it wants to crumble in on itself, like an elderly person whose legs are not far from giving in. It braces against the soft, humid breeze, and groans. Vines hook around the framework of the deck and up the side of the chimney. He sees a snake slithering in the abandoned gardens, where the bricks of the path have become dislodged. 

Mosquitos pester at his arms. He swats a few away.

“We’re not staying here, are we?” asks Noctis, as if the reservation could somehow be incorrect. He runs his thumb across the key in his palm, the one given to him at the main office down the road. 

“Yup. This is it.” Gladiolus grunts. “Don’t look so bad to me.”

“Do you think the girls’ cabin looks this bad?”

“I doubt they’re much different,” says Ignis. “Why don’t you try the key?”

Noctis steps across the creaky deck, and tests it in the lock. It unlatches. The door hinges screech as he pushes it inward.

It looks better inside than it does outside. He flips on a light, and a warm glow is cast over the rustic furniture. Someone has cleaned recently. While it smells like marsh and cool autumn mornings outside, the inside reminds him of a nice house, with the smell of baked sugar cookies permeating the air. 

“Ah, this is quite nice,” says Ignis as he sets some of their bags near the doorway and steps into the kitchen to appraise it. He fingers the digits on the stove, opens the fridge, and hums. “I think this will do.”

The bathroom has a giant claw-footed tub and double sinks, every surface far less disgusting than some of the places they have stayed during the drive to the Vesperpool. This one won’t require Ignis and Iris to work their magic with scrub brushes and bleach. 

There are two rooms they can sleep in, and the living room has a fold out sofa bed. One is the “master” that holds a queen and a wardrobe. The smallest offers two twins with their own nightstands. 

“Where do you plan to sleep, Noct?” asks Ignis as Noctis stands in the doorway of the last room.

Noctis wants to take the queen, but the twins don’t look like they’d fit Gladiolus or Ignis. If one of them takes the sofa bed, the other can take the queen. Whichever Ignis chooses will leave space for Noctis if he wants to join Ignis at night.

“I’ll sleep in here with Prompto.” Noctis plops onto the left bed. It feels nice, like it’s inviting him to nap under its gray heather comforter. 

“I’ll take the sofa bed, then,” says Ignis.

From the hall, Gladiolus cheers. “Hell yeah, thanks, Noct!”

“Yup,” says Noctis, taking out his phone and playing around on it. He leans against the pillows. 

“Would you like something to eat?” asks Ignis. “There is a grocery store in Meldacio. We can consult with the girls to fill both our fridges.”

“Yeah, soon.” Noctis waves his hand. He would like to play King’s Knight and take a nap. Somehow, riding in the car for hours is exhausting work. 

There is a surprising amount of noise outside. When Noctis sets down his phone half an hour later, he is subjected to the songs of birds and wind blowing through the trees. The wood of the cabin groans around him. He hears every shuffle of boots on the floor, even when they’re on the rug in the living room. Ignis is tinkering with something in the kitchen, too, adding to the cacophony.

Noctis can occasionally hear some critter or another scampering about outside, sometimes on the roof or beneath the window. 

The trip had been inspired by Gladiolus, who had shown Noctis a brochure of the lakeside perks of the Vesperpool. It would be warm but not sweltering during the autumn, and there would be plenty of fish Noctis had never caught before. They could opt for cabins or camping. Chocobos and boats were available for rent. If they wanted to check them out, there were some ruins nearby, too. 

They spent the entire summer talking about it, and now they’re here. It’s unbelievable. Noctis once went to Tenebrae as a kid, but other than that, he has seldom been far outside of Insomnia (the furthest being Hammerhead), and he has never left the city without his dad. There is something thrilling about this freedom—as a prince, he has always dealt with more restrictions necessary for his safety, and even if he didn’t want Ignis and Gladiolus with him, they would have been required. For once, Noctis is feeling more like an adult. 

Even so, he picks up his phone and texts Regis to inform him that they’ve arrived safely. His father responds almost immediately with a simple: _Have fun!_

Noctis is eager to get a line out in the water. If he can’t sleep, he might as well get his fishing gear out of the Regalia. He still can’t believe his dad let him take his car.

“Going fishing,” he tells Ignis as he crosses the cabin to the front door.

Ignis pauses from writing out a grocery list. 

“I’ll go with you,” says Ignis.

“Good.” Noctis raises his voice and shouts, “Gladio! Prompto! You coming or what?”

Both of them step out of the master bedroom, chattering away about some sort of book series Gladiolus has been reading.

“Going where?” asks Gladiolus when they find pause.

“Fishing.”

“Oh, yeah. Want me to ask the girls?”

“I’d like to see their cabin.” Noctis can only hope theirs is in better condition.

There is a little path through the trees and overgrown gardens that separate the two cabins. Many of the stones are out of place, making it easy to trip if they don’t watch their footing. This of course means that Prompto trips over the first uneven brick his toes can find, sending him flying into Gladiolus. 

“Watch it!”

“I’m sorry!”

Noctis sees Luna's car sitting in the driveway before the cabin comes into view. It looks less slanted, and the lawn around it looks like it has been better trimmed. The deck doesn’t have vines creeping around it. Someone has replaced and treated the wood, and it lets out dull thuds as their shoes cross it to the front door.

Gladiolus knocks and calls out, “Hey, Iris, open up! It’s us!”

It isn’t Iris who answers the door, it’s Aranea—some friend of Luna’s from Niflheim. Until Luna showed up with her in Insomnia before the trip, Noctis had no idea who she was except through his childhood friend’s vague descriptions. 

“Hey, come on in,” she says, stepping aside.

The cabin is brighter. For one, the living room is bigger and has a huge window that overlooks the water. There is a tall ceiling overhead, with a huge landing from the second floor that looks down upon the seating area. There appear to be three doors upstairs—more than likely two bedrooms and a bathroom. Beneath those rooms is the kitchen, a small dining area, and what looks to be a second bathroom. The place is spotless and appears as if it was built recently. 

It looks like the sort of place rich people would go to spend their vacation.

“Hey, are you sure we got the right cabin, Ignis?” asks Noctis.

“The key went in the lock, did it not?” Ignis frowns, but his gaze roams wherever Noctis’ has been. 

“Ours looks nothing like this,” says Noctis to Aranea. “It’s half the size.”

“That’s odd,” she says. “I was under the impression we had identical cabins. You might want to speak with Iris. She’s the one who made the reservations, isn’t she?” Aranea glances up at the second floor and shouts, “Hey, Iris!”

Iris pops her head out of one of the doors. “Oh, they’re here!” She trots across the landing and leans over the banister, waving. “Isn’t this great? I’m so excited!”

“Yeah, except this isn’t what we got,” says Gladiolus. “Not that there’s anything wrong with our cabin, but…”

Iris furrows her brows. “Hold on, I’m coming down.” She skips down the spiraling staircase and plops onto one of the sofas, gesturing at the other chairs. Only Gladiolus takes a seat. “What’s going on?”

“You did reserve two cabins for us with the same perks, right?” asks Gladiolus.

“Yeah, of course!” Iris pouts. “What, you didn’t think I could do it? If you blame me, you have to blame Daddy as well, he helped me make the call and reserve everything! He was even on the website with me.”

“Maybe you ought to come and see?” Noctis doesn’t want to explain the disaster that is their cabin. “Ours looks like it’d blow over if the wind picks up. And it’s old.”

“At least it’s clean,” says Ignis.

Iris makes a face. “Hmm…maybe we ought to talk to the administration office? There might’ve been a mix up. I’d like to see the cabin first. Is it really that bad?”

“I’d like to take a look, too,” says Aranea. “Should we ask Cindy and Luna if they want to see it? They’re busy chatting in one of the rooms. They bonded over Luna’s car and haven’t left each other’s side since. Apparently Cindy’s a mechanic.”

“Yeah, her parents and grandfather are mechanics, too,” says Noctis. “I’ve known them since I was a kid.”

Aranea slips up the stairs, leaving everyone else but the Amicitia siblings standing around. They don’t have to wait long. Once everyone gathers, Noctis leads the way back through the little wooded area to their crappy cabin.

“It looks dilapidated,” says Iris, crinkling her nose as they stand before it. “I’m certain this isn’t what we booked.” She turns to Noctis. “I’m sorry! We’ll get this fixed right away!” He believes her; the determination in her eyes almost makes him feel sorry for the administration office and park employees. 

Aranea simply laughs. Beside her, Luna tries not to giggle but fails miserably before she takes out her phone and snaps a picture. 

“My, you guys got yourself a real fixer-upper!” Cindy whistles.

“I sent a picture to Nyx,” says Luna. “He says it might be haunted and not to go in.”

Noctis snorts. “Thanks a lot. Tell your superstitious boyfriend we’ve already been inside.”

Iris groans. “How could this happen? Noct, we have to sort this out. There is no way this is the cabin I reserved!”

“Ignis can drive us. Anyone else want to come?”

“Here, give me the key to the cabin real quick,” says Gladiolus, holding out his hand and wiggling his fingers. Noctis digs it out of his pocket and hands it over. “We’ll wait inside. If you can get us a better cabin, text us, and we’ll gather up our stuff.”

“Sure.” 

“Anyone else coming with us?” asks Ignis, glancing at the others. All of them shake their heads. “All right then, let’s head off. The sooner this is sorted, the better.”

As Noctis slides into the backseat with Iris, he groans. “So much for fishing!”

“We need to do some shopping, too,” says Ignis, backing the Regalia out of the gravel drive. “It’s almost lunch time.”

“It feels a lot later,” admits Noctis. They spent the night in Lestallum, and the night before that, stayed in some cheap motel in Longwythe. The travel hasn’t been too bad, but they made good time that morning—especially since Ignis woke everyone up around 6 a.m. The thought makes Noctis yawn.

The office is only a quarter of a mile down the road from their cabin, so it doesn’t take long to get there. As soon as Ignis parks in the lot, Iris hops out and leaves them behind. By the time Ignis and Noctis have caught up and entered the air conditioned building, Iris is already deeply engaged in her complaints with a park ranger.

“The reservation does say you asked for two luxury cabins,” says the ranger as he reads through a file on his computer. “We can offer you a partial refund.”

“We’d prefer a better cabin,” says Iris.

“I’m afraid they’re all booked.”

“You overbooked? How could you overbook cabins?!”

The ranger grimaces. “I’m not sure how that happened. The person who made the reservations doesn’t work here anymore—hasn’t since a week after the reservations were made this summer. I’m sure it was over this type of incompetence that he was fired.”

“So you can only give us some of our money back?” asks Iris weakly.

“That’s good enough,” says Ignis, stepping forward. “The cabin might not be luxurious, but it’ll work for us.”

“It will?” asks Noctis, scowling. He wants a landing that overlooks a rustic sitting room and a huge window view of the lake. Two bathrooms. Less creepy shrubbery.

“I can work with the kitchen, and the space is clean,” says Ignis. “If you wish, you can ask one of the girls to trade with you, and you can stay at the other one.”

Noctis doesn’t want to separate from Ignis, and he certainly doesn’t want to inconvenience one of the girls, even if Aranea looks like the type who wouldn’t mind.

“No way,” says Noctis. He leans over the counter. “We’ll take the partial refund.”

They’re given not only the difference between a luxury cabin and this normal cabin, but an apology discount for their trouble and a tote full of goodies from the gift shop. As Ignis drives them back to the cabin, Noctis and Iris sift through it. It doesn’t have much beyond a couple of fishing lures, a thin book on the history of the area, a magazine with detailed maps and articles on the region, a couple of kiddie park ranger badges, a set of logoed pencils and notepads, and a coupon book for diners and stores in Meldacio.

“That’ll come in handy,” says Ignis, glancing over his shoulder for a second. “Keep that out, I’ll go through it when we get back to the cabin.”

They’re almost there by the time he says it—a few feet from the drive. Noctis hands it over once Ignis parks.

Noctis steps out of the car and gives the cabin one long look. It isn’t so bad. The four of them have enough space, it’s true, and they each have a bed to sleep in. Noctis isn’t one hundred percent sure the building is actually tilting, either. Ignis can still cook amazing dishes for every meal of the day. It isn’t far from some of the fishing spots listed on the map. Most importantly, it’s clean inside. 

The four of them can make it work.


	2. The Photos

Prompto’s heart is beating fast enough he’s sure it’ll burst when he steps up behind Gladiolus and taps him on the shoulder.

“Yeah?” Gladiolus doesn’t turn from his spot on the sofa; instead, his gaze is steady on the pages of his novel.

Prompto fidgets with one of the dials on his camera. Crap, he’ll have to fix that before he takes pictures. The last thing he needs is a bright blue filter over every snap he takes.

“You wanna go for a hike?” asks Prompto, and his voice is a little high. He’s known Gladiolus for like, four years? (Four years, six months, three days, but no one is counting. No one.) But sometimes he can still be downright intimidating.

“Hell yeah.” Gladiolus tucks a scrap of paper he’s been using as a bookmark between the pages and snaps the book shut. “Finally someone around here wants some exercise.”

“Actually, I wanted to get some pictures!” Prompto holds up the camera.

“Hey, you have to hike to high places to get the best shots, right? Anyone else coming?”

Prompto swallows. He didn’t ask anyone else, because he wants it to be the two of them.

“Noct wanted a nap,” he says. “Ignis is in Meldacio with Iris, buying groceries.” He doesn’t mention the girls. He is one hundred percent terrified to talk to any of them except Luna, and the only time they’ve spoken is when he’s asking questions about her dogs. He doesn’t have “safe” opening subjects to approach the others with to get to know them better. 

Gladiolus leads the way out of the cabin. Prompto has a small map folded in his back pocket, something he snagged from admissions when they first picked up their cabin keys. He doesn’t fuss with it, but maybe he should, before the two of them get hopelessly lost.

He wouldn’t actually mind that much if he’s with Gladiolus, who has bragged extensively about his prowess as an outdoorsman. 

“Hey, Gladio, where’d you learn to camp and stuff?” asks Prompto as they find the marker for the nearest trail and work their way up the worn dirt path. There isn’t any sign of mulch or stone, no cemented or planked walkways, like all the parks in Insomnia. 

“My dad takes us twice a year,” says Gladiolus. “He’s done it since I can remember. I used to set up the tent in the backyard, too, and pretend we were camping. I’d tell Iris stories and we’d eat beans out of cans.”

“That’s so cute, but is that _really_ camping?”

“That’s closer than staying in a cabin. Wish Noct would’ve let us stay in tents at least one night, but he wouldn’t even let me bring one.”

“We needed room in the car.”

Gladiolus grunts. “I guess.”

“I wouldn’t mind camping,” Prompto blurts without thinking. He doesn’t know how to feel about it. He likes electricity. It powers the lights, his video game systems, his phone, and most importantly: air conditioning. The cabin at least lets him plug in a fan to churn the humid air, and it isn’t as hot as it could be this time of year, otherwise he is pretty sure he would die.

Prompto also likes beds. And thick walls that keep out wildlife.

“Maybe we’ll set up a tent in front of the cabin one of these nights,” says Gladiolus. “Noct can sleep where he wants, and you can try a _real_ camping experience.”

“Sounds like fun!” It does not, but the more he thinks about it, the more he warms to the idea. If no one else decides to join, he’ll have Gladiolus in a tent. Alone. For the duration of a whole night. “But where are we going to get a tent?”

“There’s a sporting goods store in Meldacio.”

Prompto grins. “Maybe we’ll borrow the Regalia and buy a tent, then!”

“Now you’re talking.”

There is a bit of an opening through the trees that gives them a nice view of the lake. They both pause, and Prompto adjusts his camera before taking several shots. Gladiolus even helps him onto a rock so he can take a picture from a much higher place. 

“This is perfect,” says Prompto. “Hey, Gladio, why don’t you get a selfie with me?”

“Huh? Sure, I guess.” 

Prompto leaps down from the rock and skips over. His heart is beating all the way in his eardrums as the two of them lean in together. 

“This good?” Gladiolus’ voice is loud as he leans in and they try to squish their whole faces into the frame.

“Hope so!” Prompto clicks and hopes for the best. He straightens up and flips the camera around to get a good look at it. A smile spreads across his face. It didn’t clip out either of their faces.

“How’d it turn out?”

“It’s good.” Prompto shrugs as if it isn’t the biggest deal that he now has a picture with Gladiolus. If the two of them are in a photo together, Noctis and Ignis are usually there as well. He is hoping he can get some shots of the entire group—if he can get his camera stand and all seven other people to join him outside. He managed to get some at their stops on the way out, but it won’t be enough. He wants to capture every precious memory. His parents once took him to the chocobo farm when he was twelve, but he never dreamed he would ever have so many friends to enjoy a vacation with.

Prompto digs the map out of his pocket. Based on the locations of the trails and the lake, he figures out other places he would like to check out during the week. They have five more days left before they leave, although two more will be spent traveling home after that. It doesn’t feel like enough time. 

“Want to keep going?” asks Gladiolus.

“Sure,” says Prompto. “You want to take this trail?” His finger traces over the map, where wooden walkways will bring them through the wetlands. It would be much better than walking on the uneven dirt, where branches keep smacking against his arms and legs.

“Sounds good to me.”

Prompto holds his head a little higher as he skips ahead to see what else he can photograph. The trails look like they go deeper into the mountains to the northwest, to places no one would ever come back from. The pair pass a tackle shop, where tourists are selecting lures and renting out rods for the docks. There are a couple of boats out on the lake, too. Still, Prompto expected more people for the amount of cabins being available for rent.

There are a few signs, too, warning of dangerous creatures. The animals are protected in the area; humans have encroached upon their territory, and are cautioned with lying low or running away, depending on the wildlife.

Prompto isn’t too worried. Gladiolus is a big guy who looks like he could wrestle down any threat, and if it came down to running, he could easily lift Prompto and hurry them both to safety. Prompto favors the latter idea.

He gets a few snapshots of frogs and birds before the sun begins to set. The orange and pinks in the sky shine like watercolors on the surface of the lake. It’s time for their walk to end. Prompto is a little disappointed, but as Gladio turns to look out at the lake before they return to the cabin, Prompto sneaks a photo of him. It’s beautiful.

“One more selfie?” he asks. 

Gladiolus grunts as if it’s an inconvenience but steps next to Prompto. They stand in front of the woods, letting the last remaining bits of sunlight capture them in the shot. 

Prompto flips his camera around to take a look at how well it came out. He looks a bit flushed in the picture, as does Gladiolus—they’ve certainly had the exercise to look a little red in the face. The image captures a mosquito on Prompto’s arm, too. Great, that’ll sting.

In the background, he notices two pairs of glowing eyes within the foliage behind them. 

“Huh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t see that when I was taking the photo.” He holds the camera up to Gladiolus. “What animal do you think that is?”

Gladiolus grunts. “Could be anything. Maybe a cockatrice.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Prompto turns and glances over his shoulder at the area where they posed for the picture. Nearby, the forest looks empty except for a swarm of gnats. Whatever creature had been standing there has moved on, and Prompto figures they had better do so too before it gets too dark to see their way back to the cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "stop using every horror trope in the book" - me, using every single fucking one
> 
> I love horror but Pitioss subtle creepiness is more up my alley than this sort of thing...that said, this will probably be comedy, based on this chapter and the next and everything I have planned for the others. With heartwarming moments and cheap scares.


	3. The Seen and Unseen

Noctis’ brain decides at precisely one in the morning that it refuses to sleep through the wind tapping the tree branches against the cabin walls. Everyone is in bed, the lights are off, but it is noisy as all hell beneath, above, and around the building. 

Prompto is curled up only a few feet away. The lights from their phones charging on their nightstands are the closest they have to anything illuminating the room, but it isn’t enough to find comfort—in fact, Noctis finds it annoying. The best he can do is flip both of them over so their lights face the wood. This plunges the room into further darkness. 

At home, there’s a glow coming from the city below, but the curtains have always blocked that out.

Wild animals don’t scurry over Noctis’ room at the Citadel at night—it doesn’t hurt that his room isn’t at one of the topmost levels. He doesn’t have to worry about little marsupials digging around in the trash bins outside the windows. Most of all, the wind doesn’t howl and whistle and make the entire floor creak like the underworld will open up beneath him. And there is never anything slinking around under the boards, either. 

The branches begin to scratch at the glass.

Noctis sighs. Everything has a rational explanation, but the unfamiliarity leads to discomfort, and discomfort won’t help him sleep. Which he needs lots of, because he’s barely had any despite how much time he has tried to dedicate to it.

Noctis slides out of bed and leaves the room. Behind the next door over, he can hear Gladio snoring. There’s a nightlight in the hallway, which helps guide him into the sitting space. He can’t see Ignis’ outline on the bed in the corner of the room, but he knows he sleeps on his back when he’s alone.

There’s a fan whirling in the corner. Noctis can breathe much easier out here. The scratching above his head sounds more persistent. He groans. What could possibly have gotten in there? He’s sure there has to be an attic space between the roof and the living quarters based on the outside appearance of the cabin. Someone ought to come out and perform maintenance so that animals can’t get in.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees movement from the window. He turns. There’s a mass of shadow and two glowing eyes. He steps back, trips over the edge of the rug, and falls flat onto his ass with a loud thump.

Ignis bolts up from the bed. “What’s going on?” he demands.

“Tripped,” says Noctis, rubbing at the pain in his backside. He turns to the window. Whatever wild animal was there is gone. 

“Oh, Noct.” Ignis sighs from relief. “Perhaps you ought to have brought a lantern with you.” Ignis crosses the room and flips on a light. As soon as he sees Noctis sprawled out on the floor, he hurries over to assist. “Did you hit anything on your way down?”

“Just the floor with my ass,” groans Noctis as he is lifted from the floor. He leans into Ignis and is met with an embrace. “I’m tired, but it’s loud.” He pauses and listens. Most of the sounds bothering him minutes before have quieted. His fall must have startled the wild animals in the attic and outside. “Mind if I sleep with you?”

“Not at all.”

Noctis slips his arms around Ignis’ waist and closes his eyes. Standing there being held sounds about as good as sleep—if it didn’t mean another fall, he would nod off right there.

“I’m surprised you’re having trouble,” says Ignis. “You often rest in unfamiliar places.”

“They backseat of your car is familiar,” says Noctis, and he grins when he realizes that could be referring to activities other than naps—things they haven’t done in some time. “Insomnia’s still home, so driving around it isn’t strange. This is a completely different world out here.”

Ignis leads Noctis closer to the bed, and the two of them ease onto the thin mattress. The flimsy coils squeal a little, and it’s lumpy, even with the thick comforters Ignis has thrown over it. Noctis cuddles against Ignis’ back, resting his cheek against a shoulder with an arm thrown over his waist. Ignis smells good; there’s not a soap or cologne he uses that doesn’t add to his irresistible attraction. On any bed, Noctis could stay like that forever.

“Could you really not sleep, or was this your plan all along?”

Noctis grins. “Can’t it be a little of both?”

“Mmm, I suppose I don’t mind having you share with me.”

“Good, I’m going to be here every night for the rest of our trip.” He says it to tease, but when he thinks about those eyes on the other side of the window, he prefers the idea of sleeping near someone who can help him in an encounter with a rabid animal. 

He doesn’t hear any other scratching that night, but then, he’s only awake for a few more minutes before he drifts off next to Ignis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my document for this is called "so many eyes"...at least the next chapter should have something that isn't just eyes?
> 
> I'm excited about parts of this story, but right now everything is so tame and the guys have no fucking clue what's going to happen to them 
> 
> "just the tree outside"  
> "totally the wind"  
> "old cabin"  
> "just a daemon"  
> \o/


	4. The Regalia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name of this chapter should be "Prompto is scared but still has time to be a love sick puppy" but that was too long~

At breakfast, Prompto asks about taking a trip to Meldacio with Gladiolus.

“Sure, take my dad’s car.” Noctis tosses the keys to Prompto, who catches them in his hands above his head.

Prompto pumps his fists. “Woo hoo!”

“Please try not to crash it,” says Ignis before he takes a drink of Ebony. He has bags under his eyes. “I don’t think any of us wants to explain to King Regis why his car is in pieces.”

Prompto frowns, lower lip jutting out maybe a little further than necessary. “I’m not going to crash it,” he says when they ignore his pouting. “I’d _never_ crash the Regalia.”

Gladiolus snorts before taking a long sip of his coffee.

“I love how you all have _so much_ confidence in me.”

“Okay, so let’s go, then,” says Gladiolus.

“Wait, now? But I haven’t finished my breakfast!” Prompto pops the last slice of bacon in his mouth as he leaps off his stool. He grabs his camera off the countertop. Even if there’s nothing interesting about buying a tent, he might see something that’s worth a photo. 

The air outside is cool. His boots leave telltale foot prints in the dew as he crosses the grass to the car. 

Prompto has never driven the Regalia. He might have dreamed about it once or twice. There is a different sensation about sliding into the leather seat behind the wheel as opposed to being a passenger. Despite being a classic car, it smells like a new one fresh off the lot. The engine is quiet, too, rumbling only a little on the gravel roads. The morning is a little hazy, so he has to use the lights. 

Beside him, Gladiolus yawns.

“It’s a little foggy,” says Gladiolus as they work the car uphill. “Look at the lake.”

Prompto dares a quick glance over his shoulder. It’s like all the clouds decided to gather over the water for a morning meeting.

“That’s not spooky at all…”

“Eh, that’s nature for you.”

“Did you hear the animals last night? There were some in the attic. They woke me up in the middle of the night, and Noct wasn’t even there.”

“Yeah, he slept with Iggy.”

“I knoooow, and we’re supposed to be roomies! How could he leave me like that?” Prompto doesn’t like the cabin room, especially when there are loud noises. “I was so creeped out I couldn’t get back to sleep!”

“The wildlife can’t get in.”

“That is _so_ not the point.” Prompto pouts. 

“You’ll be more vulnerable in a tent.”

“Yes, but you’re scary, and you’ll scare them off.”

“What are you implying?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Prompto hums as he turns the car onto the highway that leads into Meldacio. There is no one else out on the roads. At least most of the fog is over the lake, or it would be impossible to see; the thick trees everywhere make it hard enough.

Things clear as they take the tunnel to Meldacio. It used to be a hunter’s hamlet thirty years ago, but with the rise of technology and the expansion of civilization, it is now filled with families vacationing at the national park. With the passing of environmental protection laws,, hunting isn’t legal in the Vesperpool. That doesn’t mean there aren’t hunters milling about, but most of them don’t hunt unless it’s a dangerous bounty. 

Prompto read an article a while back that said that some groups went on supernatural hunts, looking for daemons. They’re led by some elderly woman, Ezma, and her son, who are convinced that monsters lurk in the area. The team was featured in the magazine because of the technology they used to capture these supposed voices and visions.

Prompto laughs when he drives by the building that sports the name of Ezma’s group, the Daemonhunters. 

“What’s so funny?” asks Gladiolus sleepily.

“Nothing important. Silly stuff.” It is silly, but Prompto’s mind thinks back to the scratches against the glass back at the cabin and the clawing against the attic floorboards. But those were definitely wild animals. Daemons would be able to pass through walls or pop out of the ground if they were real.

The idea creeps him out. He hopes he’ll forget about it by that night, otherwise he’ll never get any sleep.

He pulls into the parking lot of the sporting goods store. The building is huge on the outside, its roof higher than the cavern-like arches over the main street. There’s a bait shop next door, sitting in its shadow. 

The inside reveals three stories. The entrance is a lobby of seating, fish tanks, escalators, and a giant wall map of the store’s layout. A pair of old men are milling about in the corner, wearing fishing gear, and there are a couple of people behind a help desk, but otherwise the lobby is empty that early in the day.

“It’s like a department store for the outdoorsman,” says Gladiolus, and there is a shine in his eyes that Prompto has only ever seen come out at bookstores. “They don’t have anything like this in Insomnia.”

“They don’t have nature in Insomnia,” points out Prompto. Aside from parks and reservoirs, Insomnia is ninety percent clustered buildings. The house he grew up in barely has a yard to give a puppy exercise—one of the reasons his parents never agreed to keeping a dog. 

Prompto approaches the map. “Okay, camping gear is on the second floor.” He taps the map.

“Sure, but we don’t have to go straight to camping, do we?”

“What else would we look at?” Prompto groans. This is _exactly_ like following Gladiolus into a bookstore. They could be there for _hours_.

“How often am I going to get to look around a store like this?”

There are only a handful of employees and patrons on the first floor. There are several fish tanks in the center of the building. The place is laid out a bit more like a shopping mall. Fishing gear, rods, lures—all of it is in a nice little corner of its own as it centers around the three-stories-high ceiling. The second and third floors open up to the center, and at the top is a vaulted skylight.

“Do you think we should’ve brought Noct?” asks Gladiolus as he glances around.

Prompto stares at a fish tank with a few small gar. They’re kind of cute, even if they have long, narrow jaws with lots of teeth. 

“He’d love it here,” agrees Prompto.

“Maybe we’ll buy him a few lures while we’re here,” says Gladiolus, nodding his head toward the wall display. 

“Don’t you feel sorry for these fish? They have to watch people buy rods to catch their fishy friends all day.” Prompto is sure all the gar look sad. He wants to take them home, they’re like little finned puppies.

Gladiolus snorts. “They don’t know what’s going on.”

“Look at them, they totally do.”

Prompto takes a few steps back and pulls out his camera. He adjusts his settings for indoor quality, and he has to compete with the glass, too—it’ll reflect no matter what he does, but if he can turn off the flash and still capture the fish…

“You’re taking pictures?”

“Of course!” Prompto shuts off his flash and raises the camera. After focusing the lens, he clicks a few times. Afterward, he checks the photos out. There’s too much light bouncing off the tank. Maybe if he changes the direction he’s taking the photos… “You can go wander around, I’ll be here with the fish.”

There are other tanks filled with other pond life. There’s a dip in the floor between two of them where Prompto can walk between the raised ponds, both filled with colorful varieties of carp. It’s like going to an aquarium, not a store.

He gets a few nice pictures. Some plaques nearby explain what is native to the Vesperpool and what might be found in other parts of Cleigne or in Duscae.

They should have brought Noctis along with them. If Gladiolus is going to take all day anyway, it wouldn’t have hurt to bring along the fishing enthusiast.

There’s a tap on Prompto’s arm while he’s trying to get snapshots of the carp, and he jumps, pivoting on the heel of his boot.

“Woah, big guy, you scared me.”

Gladiolus eyes the fish. “Heh, we definitely should’ve brought Noct. Guess we’ll have to stop here again before the week’s out. Until then, I picked him up something.” He holds up a clear plastic package with a tonberry lure. “Hey, c’mon, let’s grab a tent.” He extends his hand out to Prompto.

Prompto stares at the gesture as he puts his camera away. Is it an invitation…?

“Well?” 

Before Gladiolus finishes dropping his hand to his side, Prompto skips forward and snags it, lacing their fingers together tightly. No way is he passing up this opportunity. Gladiolus leads the way to the escalator. 

“We should get a couple more lanterns, too,” says Gladiolus, pulling Prompto in the opposite direction of their destination. “It’d be bad if we took the one in the cabin.”

“But we’ve got electricity in the cabin.”

Gladiolus snorts. “Until we don’t. You heard that wind last night, right? I’d hate to leave Iggy without a light.” He skims his eyes over the shelves and selects two, tearing his hold away from Prompto. The dreamy moment is gone. Prompto stares at his palm until a box is thrust into his arms. “Here, carry one.”

“What about sleeping bags?” asks Prompto as they pass a ton of them rolled up in large bins. 

“Nah, we’ll just snag a couple of blankets from the cabin. I don’t get cold easily. If you do, you can always curl up next to me.”

Prompto’s entire face warms. They don’t need to use up a ton of gil on things they’re not going to need. It hits him that he’s gotten way deeper into this than he imagined when he first agreed to go camping. 

They pause in front of a long wall of tents. Miniature display tents are set up above each design—they’re the perfect size for something like a cat or a puppy. It makes Prompto want to steal one, adopt a pet, and live in a cute apartment with Gladiolus, who he imagines sleeps shirtless and likes to cuddle.

“Hey, Prompto!” The back of Gladiolus’ hand slaps against his arm. “You listenin’?”

“Ah, sorry. What were you saying?”

“Do you want this tent—or this one?” Gladiolus gestures at the boxes rather than the displays. Both are supposed to hold up to four people, but considering Gladiolus is two and a half people on his own, it makes sense. 

“Either one.” Prompto shrugs and then notices that one has slightly smaller dimensions. He could get closer to Gladiolus in a more cramped space. “That one.” He taps the box with a knuckle.

The box takes up a lot of room in the trunk; they can barely fit the lanterns in next to it. Gladio tucks the lure inside the glove compartment.

The fog has gotten thicker, especially outside of Meldacio, where the frequent morning traffic had cleared some of it out on the main roads. Prompto leans forward in the driver’s seat as he eases the Regalia off the main highway. The skies have darkened, too. It almost doesn’t feel like daytime.

“Take it easy,” says Gladiolus as the car bumps on a dip in the dirt road. “Don’t want anything to happen to the car.”

“I’ve got it,” says Prompto, his voice a little tight from nerves and annoyance. He’s perfectly capable of driving a car, even if he doesn’t own one. “I can’t help it if there are rocks on the road. The road is _made of rocks_.”

“Yeah, yeah, but this is the Regalia.”

“I didn’t notice that.”

He sighs, and flips on the mp3 player. Some music will help calm his nerves, he’s sure of it, if only he could find the right song—

“What the hell is that?!”

Prompto glances up. There’s some sort of animal walking a few yards in front of the car, hunched over. It looks twisted in pain as it hobbles across the road.

When it pauses and turns toward them, its eyes are fierce, glowing, and they’re set in a face that almost seems human. Prompto slams the breaks to avoid it.

The car doesn’t like the gravel; she spins on the dirt. Gladiolus shouts, but Prompto can’t hear him over his own screams. He’s going to die. His heart is in his throat, blood pounding in his ears, his fingers gripping the steering wheel so tight they’ve gone white. He taps the breaks frantically, but the only thing that stops the car is the metal railing at the side of the road. 

Prompto puts her in park and shuts off the engine before he leans back in the seat and catches his breathe. He’s not sure he’s even still alive.

“Is it out there?” he asks when he can find his voice, which is nothing more than a timid whisper.

“I don’t know…” Gladiolus glances over his shoulder. “I don’t see anything.”

Prompto buries his face in his hands and throws his skull back against the head rest. “Fuck,” he mutters, tears rushing into his eyes. “Noct’s gonna kill me.”

“Damn right,” snaps Gladiolus. “I thought I told you to be careful?”

Prompto can handle this. He has fucked up before, more often than he can count, and he’s lived through it. He can do this.

“His Majesty’s gonna be pissed.”

The King’s car. Prompto has gone and crashed _the King’s car_. Noctis won’t be the only one who murders him. He’s not even sure King Regis can stand the sight of him. 

“Can it run?” asks Gladiolus, his voice softer.

“Probably. I don’t think we blew any tires.” Prompto draws a shaky hand from his face and fingers the keys.

“Take a deep breath and try it,” Gladiolus advices in a warm tone. “It’s not completely your fault. There was a creature in the road, and I didn’t help by shouting about it.”

“What was that thing?”

“I don’t know. Probably some kind of wolf, maybe?”

“There aren’t any wolves in the Vesperpool.” Prompto is not sure of many things, but he has a good feeling about that. 

“Well, I don’t know.”

“It seemed kind of human.” Prompto dares a look out the window. Everything is quiet. The fog is even thicker now, and he can only see a few feet in front of him. “Should we get out and look? Maybe someone was injured?” He hopes Gladiolus volunteers, because he is not leaving the safety of the car.

“No way was that a person,” says Gladiolus. “Maybe someone in a costume pulling a prank, but they better hope not.” His hands curl into fists.

“Yeah, maybe.” Hollow laughter bubbles out of Prompto’s throat. He switches the car back on. She sounds a little pissed, if cars can be upset, but then rumbles back to life. Following within a few seconds, the music player turns on.

It plays a mocking victory fanfare, but there are no winners here.


	5. Stranded

“Oh my, what did you do to her?” Cindy runs her fingers along the hood of the car and takes a glance at the front. The bumper sustained most of the damage, but there are a few scrapes and dents on the body. 

Gladiolus leans in toward Prompto. “She’s going to kill you, too.”

Prompto gulps. He had hoped by stopping at the girl’s cabin, Cindy might be able to help them before Noctis found out.

“There’s nothing I can do out here,” says Cindy. “Best I can do is drive her back to Hammerhead, have her fixed up in a couple of days.” She folds her arms across her chest as she stares at Prompto. “You say you saw a wild animal in the road?”

Prompto nods. “Yeah.”

“You have to be careful out here in the park,” says Cindy. “The wildlife is protected, and this is the King’s car we’re talkin’ about.”

No one can spare Prompto the reminder of who owns the vehicle. He swallows hard. Maybe he should have let whatever was in the road _eat_ him. Thrown himself out of the car and hoped for a swift death.

Gladiolus pats him on the back, claps that nearly knock Prompto off his feet. “Good job there, Prompto.”

“The King doesn’t even like me.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” says Gladiolus unhelpfully.

“So you want me to do anything about the damage or not?” asks Cindy, tapping a foot.

“We should probably ask Noct. Anyone want to tell him?” Prompto looks between the two, but neither of them offers him a bail-out. Dread settles deeper into his stomach. 

Gladiolus follows Prompto as he crosses through the tree line to the other cabin. But instead of being a comfort, he continues to list off the names of people Prompto has disappointed.

“Ignis is gonna kill you, too.”

“Thanks, didn’t need to hear that.” Prompto knocks on the door of the cabin when he tries the knob and finds it locked. 

Ignis is the one who answers.

“Where’s the car?” he asks, staring over Prompto’s shoulder. Why does he have to be so observant?

“We parked it at the girl’s cabin,” says Gladiolus. “Where’s Noct?”

“In the bathroom, scrubbing his hand. He was helping me clean the kitchen when a roach scurried across it.” Ignis smirks. 

“Ew, that’s gross. I’d wash my hands, too.” Prompto lifts his heel off the ground and glances around the floorboards, grimacing. He definitely doesn’t want to sleep in a cabin that has cockroaches.

“I took care of it.”

“I don’t care. It’s a bug. A gross, creepy bug.”

“They’re actually quite clean.”

“You hate roaches, Iggy.”

“Which is why I disposed of it. But if you continue to stand in the open doorway, you’ll let more in.” Ignis wears the face of someone whose wrath will affect more than an insect if any others trespass.

Gladiolus nudges Prompto in the back and propels him further into the cabin before shutting the door behind them.

“Prompto needs to talk to Noct,” says Gladiolus.

“Why me?”

Gladiolus narrows his eyes. “You know why.”

“What happened now?” asks Ignis, sighing. “Does this have to do with the car?”

“How did you know?”

“Just tell him.” Gladiolus elbows Prompto.

“What happened to the Regalia?” Everyone turns toward Noctis, who stands in the tiny hallway with wide eyes. “You didn’t crash it, did you?”

“I didn’t mean to!” yelps Prompto. “There was a really weird creature standing in the road!”

“You killed something with my dad’s car?!”

“No, I didn’t even hit it!” Prompto wants the ground to swallow him. There are tears in his eyes. He has fucked up, and now everyone will hate him, including King Regis. He’ll spend the rest of his life in the dungeons—does the Citadel even _have_ dungeons? “If I had killed it, you’d be thanking me, because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t natural.”

“It was kind of creepy,” admits Gladiolus. “It was probably some kind of wolf or coyote. Maybe one with mange.”

Prompto scowls, but it doesn’t compare to the looks Ignis and Noctis give him.

“I can’t believe you wrecked my dad’s car. How bad is it?”

“I’ll show you?” Prompto wrings his fingers in front of him. “It still runs. Cindy says she can take it to Hammerhead and get it fixed up in a couple of days, if you don’t mind her bailing on us.”

Noctis pushes past Prompto, flings open the cabin door, and runs through the tree line separating the cabins. The other three follow him until they catch up with the prince standing in front of his damaged car. Cindy is wiping off mud from the Regalia’s side, but all this does is reveal more of the damage.

“You totaled the front!” screeches Noctis. “My dad will kill me.”

“After he’s done with Prompto,” agrees Ignis. “Noctis, perhaps you had best let Cindy take it to Hammerhead and have her fixed before we return to Insomnia.”

Cindy shakes her head. “Paw-paw’s still gonna tell King Regis.”

“She’s right, Specs. Dad’s gonna find out no matter what.”

Prompto feels worse. “But it’s my fault,” he whispers. “You didn’t do anything.”

“I gave you my keys.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Should’ve had Gladio drive.”

Gladiolus grunts. “To be honest, I think I might’ve wrecked it, too.”

Everyone turns to him and stares. Prompto’s heart flutters. Is Gladiolus going to defend him? 

“I’m not gonna hit a wild animal in the road with a car. Prompto reacted like anyone would, and it doesn’t help that I yelled when I saw it. The only difference is he was the one driving the Regalia.”

No one says anything for some time. Cindy finished cleaning off the front, though some of the mud had buried deep in the scratches left from the accident. 

“I’m too old to be grounded for life,” mutters Noctis, his fingers caressing the marred body of the Regalia.

“I think it’s called house arrest at your age,” says Ignis. “Probation.”

“I’ll sneak over to your apartment and play video games with you?” Prompto grins. “It can be _Prompt_ bation!”

Noctis shoves his arm, but he gets a smirk out of him.

“See, it’s gonna be all right!” It’ll be the opposite of all right.

Gladiolus grunts and crosses his arms. “Won’t you be on probation, too?”

“Nah. I’ll be dead. They won’t let a plebe like me live after this.” Prompto throws his arm around Noctis’ neck and pulls him in for a hug. “I’ll hang out with my buddy as a ghost. He’ll never get bored.”

“Ignis, when we get back to Insomnia, contact an exorcist,” says Noctis. “I think I’ll need one to visit my apartment.”

“I’m _really_ sorry, Noct.”

Noctis lets his weight fall against Prompto. “I know.”

Prompto squeezes his best friend tighter. He would offer to help pay for the Regalia’s repair costs, but even if he worked two summer jobs once they got back to Insomnia, it wouldn’t be enough for a custom classic. He would need to work a _lifetime_ to cover a fraction of the costs. The Caelum family at least has money. Even if they weren’t royalty, they have resorts all over Eos. 

“It’s okay,” says Noctis softly. He looks lost as he stares at the Regalia.

“I’m really sorry.”

“No, it’s all right.”

“Shouldn’t’ve trusted Prompto with the keys,” says Gladiolus. 

“I thought you were on my side,” Prompto whines. “Don’t betray me now. If he’d given them to you, you would’ve also crashed the car. Remember when you said that?”

“I do,” says Noctis.

“As do I,” chips in Ignis.

Cindy whistles.

Gladiolus glares at all of them, one by one. “Yeah, and my dad would kill me.”

Prompto feels Noctis flinch. “Yeah…” Noctis hisses through his teeth. “All that’ll happen to Prompto is he’ll never be allowed in the throne room again.” 

As if Prompto is even allowed in the throne room _now._

Regis will never be polite to him again. It’ll be icy stares from here on out.

“You’re lucky she can still drive,” says Cindy, patting the car affectionately. “So what’ll it be? I hate to see the beauty lookin’ like this, but it’s up to you whether you want me to see her back to Hammerhead or wait until you’re home first. You don’t think you’ll be needing her while you’re out here?”

Noctis turns to Ignis.

“We have enough supplies to last the week,” says Ignis.

“All right, take her to Hammerhead.” Noctis sighs.

“I think it wise if you call his Majesty and let him know before Cid does,” suggests Ignis.

Noctis shrinks in Prompto’s embrace. “Good idea,” he mutters. “He can’t kill me from this distance.”

“Or put you under house arrest!” Prompto offers.

Noctis sighs. “So we’re stuck in this creepy place without a car because something weird jumped out in front of you. Maybe I ought to go home.”

“Fishing,” Prompto whispers loudly in Noctis’ ear. “F-I-S-H-I-N-G. You know you want to!”

“Thought you were creeped out, too,” says Gladiolus.

Prompto considers the noises from the attic and the animal that jumped out in front of him. Now that it’s all in the past, he can rationalize that they were indeed wild animals. He has nothing to worry about. What can it hurt, to go a couple of days without the Regalia?

“I’ll need the keys,” says Cindy, wiggling her fingers at each of the guys. One by one, they nod their heads at Prompto.

“Oh right.” Prompto unlatches his hold on Noctis and digs around in his pockets. He drops the Regalia keys into her waiting palm. He is never going to see or hold them again. 

They need something to cheer them up—especially after Noctis makes the phone call to his father.

~*~

Noctis doesn’t even care about playing video games that evening. He sulks in the front room and whines about how hungry he is at Ignis in the hopes he’ll bake him some delicious pastries or even serve up s’mores. Anything that will make him feel less shitty. His father lectured him for _almost an entire hour_ for letting Prompto drive the car. 

Only Ignis and Noctis had been given permission to sit in the driver’s seat of the Regalia, and now the Regalia is a mess. He took photos of the damage before Cindy left. And then he had to send them to his father. Every single one of them.

But the worst part isn’t his father’s wrath. The worst is seeing the Regalia damaged. Whatever she means to Regis, she means that to Noctis, too. Maybe even more. 

“Ignis, please?” Noctis calls from the sofa into the kitchen as Ignis makes something disgusting that that smells suspiciously like green peppers. He hates green peppers. “Bake me some cookies.”

“Without a car, I can’t drive to Meldacio. Besides, we haven’t the equipment.” Ignis doesn’t even look up, so Noctis scowls at his back. When things aren’t going well, Ignis is supposed to be the one to take care of him. But when Noctis asked if Ignis could make the call to Regis and send the pictures in his place, his advisor abandoned him in his greatest time of need.

Everyone in this cabin is against him. 

“I should go visit the girls. I’ll take Cindy’s bed.”

“You mean the one she’s been sharing with Luna?” asks Gladiolus, snorting.

Luna wasn’t too pleased with Noctis, either, when she found out that he had asked Cindy to drive back to Hammerhead. Within no time, they started chatting so much that apparently Nyx and Luna are having conversations about polyamory so Luna can date Cindy as well. 

Noctis hates their happiness. They have time to think about relationships while he’s stuck without a car in the boondocks with evil spirits and monsters. Maybe he should call Cor to pick him up. They could take a detour going home that involves fishing for as long as it takes Regis to stop being mad at him.

“We should’ve brought Cor,” he realizes as an afterthought. Cor is the best person to go fishing with. Cor fights a pulling line with the same strength he conjures in combat. It can be fascinating and hilarious to watch.

And the mere presence of Cor could scare off whatever evil is lurking about the Vesperpool.

“Sorry we’re so terrible, Noct,” says Ignis.

“You’re mean right now.” Noctis folds his arms across his chest and pouts, knowing full well that he’s being sulky. But he has no intention of doing anything about it. He’d like to curl up in a bed and forget this entire trip. 

“Go visit the girls, then.”

Noctis considers this. He glances out the window. It is getting late, and it’s blue out there, meaning the sun has set and it’s about to get even darker outside. 

Something most definitely will eat him out there.

“I’ll go tomorrow,” he grumbles, and settles into the sofa. “You’re making chili, aren’t you? With _beans_ and _vegetables_.”

“And garula sirloin.”

Noctis will eat it, if the vegetables are blended in well enough. He hates when he bites into a piece and can taste its bitterness and feel its texture against his tongue. That’s the one thing he hates most about beans. They’re weird, like firm little pockets with squishy insides.

He doesn’t want to eat beans. He’ll have to pick those out.

A burger sounds much, much better. They’ll have a cookout soon. Noctis can’t wait. It’ll be nothing but meat and popsicles all day. 

But for now, he’s anxious and he doesn’t want to eat at all. He stretches out on the length of the sofa, snagging Ignis’ pillow off the back, and closes his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd now they're down to one car, which for the guys means they're _stranded_. 
> 
> The next chapter is going to be them wishing they hadn't agreed to let Cindy take it back to Hammerhead...


	6. Bump in the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a _need_ to pick the most cliché chapter names ever for this story.

Prompto yawns, his vision blurring as he stares at his phone. The little sprites on screen start to blend in with one another. He slumps against the uncomfortable wooden arm of his chair and sighs.

“You should go to bed, Prompto,” says Gladiolus. He leans against the doorway between the main room and the kitchen, sipping on a giant glass of ice water.

“I’d be stuck in there by myself,” Prompto admits, glaring at the prince sleeping on the sofa. It’ll be difficult enough for Ignis to move him so he can pull the furniture out into a bed. “It’s scary and that monster we saw when we crashed the car is totally gonna come back and eat us.”

“You can sleep in my bed.”

Prompto’s phone slips from his grasp but he manages to catch it in time and smash it flat against his leg before it falls to the floor. He slides it onto his lap. His ears and face are bright, he can feel them tingling. Blushing always gives everything away.

Gladiolus raises an eyebrow.

“Why would I do that?” Prompto doesn’t mean to ask so loudly.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to be alone.”

“I don’t. But.” Prompto stumbles around his brain for an excuse. “Are you sure the bed’s big enough for us both?”

“Probably.” Gladiolus grunts. 

Prompto doesn’t want to turn down the offer, but his first impulse is to decline. After all, there is no way his crush asked him to share a bed. Even if it is to _sleep_ —as if Prompto could do that, now that he’s wide awake from the million butterflies migrating in his stomach—but it’s still Gladiolus. _Strong, attractive, sexy Gladiolus._

Prompto might not get any rest, but at least he’ll be safe.

“Okay,” says Prompto. He pockets his phone as he stands. He can try to finish his game later. 

Gladiolus returns his glass to the kitchen while Prompto slips into the room. The bed is big, but so is Gladiolus. There is plenty of space for them both. 

Prompto pulls off his pants and lays them across the back of a chair, leaving him in a muscle shirt and his boxers. He flops onto the bed and waits for Gladiolus.

He can hear rustling outside the window. The light is on, though, and that means he’s safe. Monsters always hate light in horror movies.

“You’re in the middle of the bed,” says Gladiolus when he steps into the room. He closes the door, which gives Prompto mixed feelings. Maybe they’ll be intimate (no way) or maybe this will leave them _both_ prey to whatever creatures lurk in the Vesperpool at night.

“Scoot over.” Gladiolus bats at Prompto’s thigh with the back of his hand. 

Prompto caterpillars sideways on the bed with his hips and watches as Gladiolus strips down to his underwear.

He swallows, eyes fixated on the package tucked in Gladiolus’ boxer briefs. His thighs are pure muscle. His ass is exquisite.

Prompto might die tonight, but it is not going to be from something creepy. No, his heart will explode instead.

Gladiolus cuts the lights and falls into bed next to Prompto.

For a while, there’s breathing, and not the kind that means either of them fell asleep.

“Are you still awake?” whispers Prompto. His eyes are beginning to adjust. There isn’t a lot of light coming in from under the crack beneath the door, but it’s enough that he can make out the barest outline of Gladiolus’ form on the bed.

“Not for long.”

Prompto scoots closer and bravely tosses his arm over Gladiolus’ hip.

Gladiolus sets his hand over Prompto’s and laces their fingers together. Prompto’s heart jumps all the way to his throat like a high striker at a carnival.

He closes his eyes and swallows.

A few minutes later, he hears a snore. Their hands remain clasped together. 

Prompto peers around the room. The window’s dusty blinds let in the pale moonlight. Lines of illumination run along the floorboards. 

And then something shadowy breaks them.

Prompto squeezes Gladiolus’ fingers and doesn’t breathe. He wants to look up to see what’s casting it from outside, but if he glances at the window, whatever it is might notice and kill him. He doesn’t want to die. Not when he finally gets to share a bed with Gladiolus. Not when he might finally have a boyfriend.

Prompto slowly turns his head toward the window.

There’s something large outside, something with lots of legs. It lets out deep-throated hisses and scurries away, and Prompto curls further around Gladiolus, whimpering. 

“What’s going on?” grumbles Gladiolus sleepily. “You’re hurting my hand.” He flexes his fingers and Prompto loosens his hold.

“There’s something outside.” His voice is so low he doesn’t think Gladiolus hears him.

Gladiolus sits up. Prompto scrambles to stay on the bed. He reaches out and snags one of Gladiolus’ arms. They’re muscular—arms that will keep him _safe_ , if they stay with him.

“What’s wrong with you?” asks Gladiolus.

“It was hissing and it’s huge,” whispers Prompto. “It’s even bigger than that thing we saw in the road.”

The creature’s cries break through the symphony of crickets outside. Gladiolus goes rigid.

_“What the fuck was that?”_

“I don’t know! I _told_ you there was something out there.”

Gladiolus stands and grabs for his jeans. Prompto scurries out of bed after him. 

“Please don’t leave me!” begs Prompto, rushing to get into his pants so fast his foot gets caught in the knee. Gladiolus is already in the hall before he can get his zipper up and the button done. He does them while he hops after the other man. Why does Gladiolus have to have such long legs and walk so fast and act so bold? 

The nightlight in the hallway makes it easy to see their way into the main room. Ignis and Noctis are also awake, looking out the kitchen window that faces the same direction as the one in the bedroom.

“Did you hear that?” whispers Noctis, turning to Prompto. He looks both scared and excited. 

“I’m calling the park department,” says Ignis, taking out his phone. The light of it is bright, and Prompto worries the creature might notice through the window, since it doesn’t have any curtains or blinds. “That’s odd.”

“What?” asks Gladiolus.

“There’s no service.”

Gladiolus leaves and returns a few seconds later with his phone. “I can’t get a signal either.”

“Same here,” says Noctis.

Prompto stares at the top of his phone screen, where there ought to be bars.

“What’re we gonna do?” Prompto can barely get the words out. There’s a scream outside, but it doesn’t sound human. And it doesn’t sound like it belongs to one animal.

Noctis shakes his head, eyes wide. “I don’t know.”

“Should we go out there?” asks Ignis, turning to Gladiolus.

“I think we ought to stay in here and keep the princess safe,” says Gladiolus. “We go out there, we don’t have walls to protect us. If it’s some kind of coeurl, it might be endangered.”

“It doesn’t sound like a coeurl,” says Noctis.

“As if you’ve ever heard one.”

“Shut up.”

“Both of you stop bickering,” says Ignis. “I still can’t get a signal. This is the first time we’ve lost reception. I agree with Gladiolus—we stay indoors. Whatever it is out there might be endangered. We pose no threat to it and it poses no threat to us if we remain inside.” He starts herding them all into the living room like children, tugging at arms and spinning Noctis around by the shoulders.

He instructs them all to sit. Prompto eases into a chair and tries not to look at the windows. He wants to sleep. No, he wants to go home. Nighttime in Insomnia is nothing like this. There might be some drunks milling about the streets late at night, and sometimes there is gang activity, but those are dangers Prompto knows how to avoid.

Ignis sifts through their belongings in the corner of the room. They unloaded it all from the car earlier that day. They _should_ have stacked it all in front of doors and windows.

Gladiolus reaches across from the sofa bed and sets his hand on Prompto’s knee. Just as Prompto smiles up at him to show his appreciation for the small comfort, a loud bang against the side of the house makes him jump and scream.

“We’re gonna die here,” says Prompto as the hissing outside grows louder. 

“No, we’re fucking not,” Gladiolus insists. “Calm down, Prompto.”

Noctis stares at his phone screen, the light illuminating the main room. It’s distracting. Prompto wants to slap it out of his hand. It feels like a signal to all the monsters outside: _this is the room we’re in, come eat us!_

“I can’t get through to Luna and the others.”

“Luna and Iris can take care of themselves,” says Gladiolus, but there’s a hint of worry that flashes across his face. “Let’s think about ourselves right now.”

Ignis pulls out weapons for all of them and hands Prompto a gun. “Do you know how to use this?”

“Kind of,” admits Prompto. He’s been sitting in on training sessions with Noctis, which means he has picked up on a few tips from Gladiolus and Cor. Guns seemed the most natural to him, but he wouldn’t call himself _great_ with them.

“He’s pretty good,” says Gladiolus as he gets up to help Ignis go through their belongings. Gladiolus’ sword isn’t hard to find—it’s leaning up against the wall near the door—but Noctis’ is missing.

“Did you leave it in the car?” asks Ignis.

“I don’t know. Get me a knife or something. I can fight with just about anything.”

Gladiolus groans. “Fine, you take my sword. I found some brass knuckles in the trunk when we were clearing it out. It was tucked in a compartment.” He pulls them out of the luggage and tries them on, admiring them from all angles as he turns his hand. “You think these might’ve been my dad’s? Or maybe Weskham’s?”

There’s a loud roar outside, and the ground begins to shake. Whatever is making the noise gets closer and closer.

Prompto takes the gun in hand. He might be scared, but he is not weak enough to allow himself to die. Not today. Not when he might finally have a boyfriend. 

There’s a pop somewhere behind them in the hallway. All four of them whip around, staring at the source. A wisp of dusk-blue smoke trails out toward them. Prompto leaps out of his chair and backs away so it doesn’t touch his boots.

The smoke swirls, beginning to form something out of nothing.

Prompto aims with shaky hands. 

“What the fuck is that?” asks Gladilus as a face with sinister teeth appears. The figure soon has legs and arms and a body, all gangly and deformed. Almost like a goblin from the scary stories kids would tell each other at school.

Noctis lunges forward with the sword. The flat end of it smacks the goblin-like creature against the side of its head, making it soar until it slams against the wall. It lets out a delighted laugh before Gladiolus steps in and begins to pummel its face.

Prompto can’t get a shot in. It doesn’t help that he’s shaking.

Gladiolus stands. The creature twitches one last time on the ground before it dissolves in a bubbly puddle the same color as the smoke that summoned it forth.

“Fuck that,” says Noctis. “Fuck this place. I want to go home.”

“We can’t.” Prompto hugs his arms around him, gun still gripped in his hands. He’s so useless. And he’s the reason they’re stranded. 

He feels a hand rest on his shoulder and glances up. Ignis offers him a soft smile. “If this is the sort of thing you encountered in the middle of the road, I can understand what happened with the car.”

The words help, even if Ignis has no idea how badly Prompto needs to hear them.

“I’ll call my dad to send Cor out.” Noctis pulls out his phone and growls. “Still no service! What the hell is going on here?”

“Don’t get worked up, Noct,” says Ignis. “We should rest, if we can. Two of us will stand watch while the other two sleep, and then we’ll switch off. Who should take the first shift?”

Prompto doesn’t think he’ll ever sleep again.

“I’ll stay up,” says Gladiolus, grinning as he mimes a punch with his brass knuckled fist into the palm of his other hand. “Feeling feisty all of a sudden.”

Noctis hands him back his sword. “I don’t think I could sleep, either…” But even as he says this, he follows it with a yawn and slips back down onto the sofa bed.

“I’ll stay up with Gladio,” says Prompto.

Ignis nods. “Very well. We’ll leave things to you. If anything should get out of hand, please wake us up.”

“No problem.” Prompto is certain that if something else slips into the cabin, he’ll scream loud enough the entire national park hears him.

Gladiolus sets his sword on the coffee table, along with the brass knuckles, and takes a seat in one of the chairs. There isn’t a lot of commotion outside—some hissing in the distance, but nothing close enough to worry about. The scurrying in the attic has calmed. Prompto eases into a chair and waits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucking loved writing this chapter, I'm not sure if it was the least bit scary but it was plenty hilarious to me. :'D
> 
> I have no idea who owned the brass knuckles, maybe they were Cor's?


	7. The Coming of the Dawn

When the dawn breaks and the noises dispel, Noctis insists they check on the girls. Everyone—as a precaution—grabs their weapons. None of them can get a signal on their devices; Noctis stares at his phone several times in annoyance as the others get ready.

Ignis doesn’t even nag them about breakfast. Perhaps he is just as worried as the three make their way outside.

There are a few fallen branches and stomped bushes close to the cabin. They find tracks around the premise, and one of the trash cans has been knocked over. Gladiolus rights it, tucking one of the bags back inside.

“They certainly made a mess, whatever they were,” says Ignis. “I’ll ask Luna if she’ll drive me to the administration office. Something like this ought to be reported to the rangers.”

Noctis opens his mouth and then shuts it again. He’d like to add his personal complaints, but he’s too tired for that. Besides, Ignis will cover it.

Noctis runs through the woods between the cabins. He’s relieved to see the manicured flowerbeds and drive are all in perfect order—no sign of disarray from the previous night. 

Luna answers the door.

“Luna, is everyone all right?” Noctis gasps out, the panic clutching his ribcage making him short of breath.

“Noctis…” She frowns down at him before she steps aside and gestures for them to enter. “Everything’s fine. What happened to you?”

“Nothing happened last night? You didn’t hear anything?”

Luna turns to Ignis. “Ignis, what’s wrong?”

“We’ve had an unusual night.” As Ignis steps across the threshold, he pulls out his phone. “Oh, it seems we have a signal here.”

As the boys gather in the living room with Luna, they pull out their phones to check. Three bars—much better reception than none.

“I’ll get Iris and Aranea.” Luna eyes them all with concern as she ascends the staircase.

Noctis turns to Ignis. “Are you fucking kidding me? They didn’t hear anything? Luna’s looking at me like I lost my damn mind!”

“Calm down.” Ignis puts a hand over his shoulder. “Let’s talk to them first. Someone else might have heard something and assumed it was the local wildlife. Let’s be grateful they’re safe.”

“I am, but it’s also not fair.” Noctis realizes after he says it how childish he sounds, and he’s visibly pouting. He forces a smile that he’s sure comes out a grimace. “It’s good they’re safe, yeah.”

Iris and Aranea look as unharmed as Luna as they follow her down the stairs. All of them wear triplet expressions of deep concern. Noctis wants to bury himself under the sofa cushions nearby until Cor comes.

“Oh, I have to call Cor!” Noctis steps into the dining room, not wanting anyone to overhear. In the other room, Ignis explains what happened during the night—from the terrifying noises outside to the smoke climbing out of the floorboards until it formed into a vicious creature.

Cor picks up almost immediately.

“Is everything all right, your Highness?”

“No, it damn well isn’t. Are you busy?”

“I—”

“Come picks us up. _Please_. We won’t all fit in Luna’s car. Ask my dad for my keys and take my car.”

An answer doesn’t come right away. Noctis paces the floor, staring periodically out the sliding glass doors toward the back deck. The view could trick any poor soul. Everything here is luxurious, like the perfect getaway place on the lake. If the other guys weren’t there to confirm his story, he might have thought he dreamt last night’s fiasco.

“I can’t leave without talking to the king first,” says Cor.

“I’ll call Dad next, just get out here.”

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

Noctis hesitates. Cor is reliable and badass, but he’s also no-nonsense, and if he hears the outrageousness of this story from anyone but Ignis…

“Specs! Get in here! I need you to talk to Cor.”

Ignis takes over the call, but Noctis lingers nearby, leaning in as close to listen in. Eventually, Ignis flips on the speaker function and holds it out.

“You’re telling me you were attacked by wild animals?”

“Wild animals can’t move through floors,” says Ignis. “I assure you, none of us is crazy. It happened in front of four witnesses.”

There’s a pause. “I’ll be there soon. Give me a day.”

“It takes almost two—”

“Be there in a day.”

There’s a click, and the line dies. Ignis hangs up with a heavy sigh and passes the phone back to Noctis.

“Well, if the marshal makes it here sooner, it’ll be all for the better.”

“Guess I don’t need to talk to my dad after all, if he’s coming anyway.” Noctis would rather not have to—Regis is surely still upset with him over lending Prompto the car. 

Leaving the park means confronting his father’s disappointment in person, but it’ll be easier to deal with a stern frown than the gateway to Hell that is their cabin.

~*~

Prompto likes the girls’ cabin. It has a pretty window view of the lake, the chair he’s claimed as his own holds him in its upholstered embrace, and there isn’t anything weird going on.

It’s almost like a vacation should be. Throw in some chocobo rides, stargazing with Gladiolus, and lovemaking in front of the open windows, and it’d be perfect.

He could almost be fooled, if everyone would stop talking about the freaky thing that rose out of the ground.

“You know, there are rumors about this place,” says Aranea. “There’re some ruins nearby. I’ve heard they connect to an ancient society, whose sickness turned people into daemons.”

Prompto shutters. The sun is glistening on the lake like a watercolor painting people would spend thousands of gil to hang on their living room walls. No one would ever guess that with this dreamlike scenery, they’ve got another horrifying night quickly approaching them? Without a car, without Cor…

“Can we stay here tonight?” asks Prompto suddenly.

“That’s a good idea!” Noctis turns to toward the girls with wide, hopeful eyes. Prompto decides to take his lead.

“This is kind of cute, actually,” says Aranea, leaning back in her chair with a smirk. “Sure, why not? What do you think, Luna?”

“Where would we put them? They won’t all fit in Cindy’s bed, and the sofa would only fit one…” Luna sweeps the room, not once looking at Noctis or Prompto. 

“We could swap,” says Iris.

“No way,” says Gladiolus before Prompto can protest. “No way are you staying in that cabin, Iris.”

“Just Iris, big bro?” Aranea grins wickedly. “You think the rest of us could handle a daemon popping out of the ground at us?”

Prompto decides it’s time to rescue his beloved. “I don’t think anyone should stay there,” he says. “It just keeps getting creepier.” He points to the floor. “I can sleep on the ground.” He sincerely wishes Gladiolus had let them pick up sleeping bags in Meldacio. If Ignis wasn’t going to take Luna’s car up to the administration office later, he would suggest a trip back to the small town. 

“Yeah, the ground’s fine!” Gladiolus nods his approval. 

“If you insist…” says Iris, frowning. “That can’t be very good on your back…”

“Does Meldacio have a hotel?” asks Prompto. 

“I checked on that earlier, actually,” says Ignis, pulling out his phone and waving it. “Once we had cell reception, I thought of alternative accommodations as well. It turns out they’re booked. You have to reserve a room at least a few weeks ahead of time.”

“Oh…” There goes any hope of leaving this place until Cor arrives. “Well, the girls are letting us stay here, so it should be fine! What could go wrong?”

Everyone glares at him, but Prompto already realizes as the words leave his mouth that he’s made a mistake—a silent challenge to whatever is out there to come make them miserable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why'd you have to say that, Prom? :|
> 
> thanks for reading, would love to know what anyone thinks about this story! :D


	8. My Immortal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this!
> 
> I have been agonizing over how I don't like how this story worked out, but for the sake of completion, I've finished it. I guess I'll let anyone who reads decide if they hate it or not, since... I'm always told I'm too hard on myself. Haha.

The night in the girls’ cabin passes without incident. Around midday, Noctis hears a vehicle pull up in the drive and checks through the window. He recognizes the car. It’s the one his father gave him for his sixteenth birthday. It’s smaller than the Regalia, but it’ll squeeze in everyone who doesn’t fit in Luna’s car, along with their belongings. 

“Cor!” Noctis throws open the cabin door and sprints across the lawn. He doesn’t care that Cor has arrived in a suspiciously short amount of time. They’re free, they’re safe, they’re all going home. It’ll be much easier to work things out with Regis in person than over the phone. He isn’t too afraid of the weird things that have been going on—they’re creepy, yes, but mostly the monsters have proven to be more of an annoyance on his sleep schedule.

He throws himself into Cor’s arms as soon as the marshal steps out of the car. Every muscle in Cor tenses, but Noctis doesn’t let go. After a few seconds, Cor pats his head awkwardly.

“I knew you’d come through! Some of our stuff is still back at the other cabin, let’s go pick that up first.”

“Um, your Highness?” Cor worms his way out of Noctis’ grip. “I’m not here to pick you up. I’m here to track the monsters.”

There is a long pause as Noctis lets the words sink in. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“It could be a problem if we let them run loose,” says Cor. “They could harm the citizens.”

“They’ve survived so far,” says Noctis. “I’ve never heard of anyone getting attacked in the Vesperpool before. It’s just that stupid cabin. If they never rent it out again, we’re good.”

“No, I’ve faced these enemies before.” Cor gazes off into the distance, his eyes growing more intense as he speaks. “I knew something was wrong with this place three decades ago.”

“You would’ve been like…fourteen.”

“Yes. I came out here with your father.”

Noctis scowls. “Dad never brought it up.”

“He thought they were wild animals.” Cor shakes his head. “Only Weskham ever agreed there was something off about this place. Someone could get hurt. We have to find the source and exterminate it, it’s our duty to the citizens.”

The marshal begins unloading an arsenal of weapons from the trunk of Noctis’ car. Noctis isn’t even sure how all of it could fit as Cor lays everything out across the lawn—swords and guns and even a few military-issued grenades.

Noctis runs back inside the girls’ cabin.

“Gladio! Ignis!” 

Everyone who is gathered around the fireplace looks up. They’re more rested than they have been since they got here, but that doesn’t stop the guys from looking tired. One calm night doesn’t make up for two crazy ones.

“Cor’s not coming to take us home.”

Ignis frowns. “But he’s right outside.”

“He came to fight whatever is harassing us. He’s unloading the whole Crownsguard armory in the drive!”

Gladio leaps to his feet and scrambles out the door. Everyone in the cabin, including Aranea, all follow him outside and gather around Noctis’ car. Iris begins picking up weapons, firing questions at the marshal about where he suspects they’ll find the daemon nests.

Aranea laughs and leans against the side of Noctis’ car. “I’m all for this. Tell me what to do and when.”

We’ll find their nest first,” says Cor. “I’ve read up on the lore in this area since I left thirty years ago, and I’ve heard there are ruins nearby. A place called Steyliff. I think I know of their general location after chatting with some of the locals in Meldacio, but we still have a radius of half a mile to cover in order to find it.”

“When did you have time to chat with them?” asks Noctis. 

“When I came in.”

“How fast were you driving my car?”

“Speed limit.”

It doesn’t _sound_ like the marshal is lying, but it is a two-day trip to the national park from Insomnia. Even speeding would only shave off a few hours of driving time. Cor might have taken a different route, something less scenic than the one the rest of them took through Duscae a few days ago.

Nonetheless, Noctis would prefer to use that same road out of the park rather than worry about how fast Cor managed to get in.

“When should we mobilize against the threat?” asks Ignis. 

“We’ll start looking for the nest as soon as everyone is ready.” Cor runs a finger along the blade of his katana. “All of you should decide on your choice weapons. Be well equipped—we’re going to take this thing out before the night is over.”

“Can I sleep while you’re looking for the nest?” asks Noctis. The worst part of the entire trip has been the lack of rest—the nights where he has been awake, and not even to play through the last level of a hard game. If he can snooze a few hours, kicking daemon ass actually sounds fun.

“Yes, I think it would be best if some of us do reconnaissance while the others rest,” agrees Ignis. “Once we find the ruins, we’ll call the others with directions. Let us divide into teams. Who all is well rested enough to form a search party?” 

Noctis yawns and heads back into the girl’s cabin. That’s the best response he has—the more sleep he gets, the better he can fight in a few hours.

~*~ 

It takes most of the afternoon to find the ruins and conclude the location of the entrance. Prompto sticks to Gladiolus’ side while they split into groups of two to investigate. It isn’t until a few minutes of searching that Aranea snaps her fingers and makes an announcement.

“Maybe they don’t open up until nighttime? I’ve heard of places connected to Solheim that were like that.”

“That is true,” agrees Luna. “Let’s wait until Ignis and Noctis arrive. By then, it should be dark enough to enter.”

Wait. Outside. Prompto hates the sound of that and finds himself inching closer to Gladiolus. But it makes sense—if this is where the daemons are lurking, and they only come around after the sun sets, their layer might be shut away in the daytime. Prompto is pleased Cor brought along guns. They are one of the few weapons Prompto knows how to use.

Ignis and Noctis arrive before dark. The late evening sun begins to slip behind the mountains, casting colors and shadows across the lake’s surface. The group ought to be spending their time fishing for food Ignis can put on the grill later. Prompto won’t even be able to set up the tent Gladiolus bought.

“This is the worst vacation ever,” says Prompto.

“I’m pretty sure I said that on day one.” Noctis huffs and takes a seat on a fallen pillar, half his legs submerged in swamp water. 

Prompto bats away a mosquito. One of the other enemies out in the wilderness: bloodsucking insects. And he’s not so sure about some of the fish that swim against his legs, either. He climbs onto a rock and keeps his legs tucked against his chest, hoping the fish don’t go rogue at nighttime like everything else in the Vesperpool.

As darkness and long shadows sweep across the region, something in the ruins activates. The stones shift to form a door, red lights clicking on but with no telling as to how. No power lines run through this area. It’s technology beyond anything Prompto recognizes.

Cor leads the way. There used to be a time when Prompto looked up to him, but now he’s frightened of the marshal. The steps lead them far underground, but Cor descends them without hesitation. Everyone else follows behind at varying levels of caution. Aranea seems almost as excited for a fight as Cor.

The whole place is crumbling, and Prompto feels his heartbeat speed up as invasive thoughts of worst case scenarios enter his mind. He has always had a little bit of claustrophobia. Tight spaces, going underground—all if it triggers off the fear of suffocation.

At least if he dies, he’ll be a hero for standing at Noctis’ side in an effort to protect the people. Even Regis will have to recognize his efforts. Prompto might get his name chiseled on a stone memorial in the future and be in history books. 

Steyliff. Prompto has heard the name from somewhere before this, but he can’t place it. He repeats the name in his head several times while he runs through a mental assessment of history books and shows he has watched in his lifetime, but the thought slips away completely when they step into a large cavern that reminds him of school trips to the aquarium.

“Are we underwater?” Prompto nears the railing and looks up. That’s the surface of the lake! He reaches a hand out, but the air doesn’t change. It’s damp against his hand, like touching cool stone, but he doesn’t feel any water slid over his fingers. 

“Extraordinary,” says Ignis.

“Damn, I never would’ve thought that’d be under the lake.” Gladiolus whistles. “It’s like something out of a fantasy novel.”

They move along the balcony when they notice green light twirling in the dark space below them—opposite of the waterless pool. Prompto backs away, only to bump into Cor.

“This is certainly they’re lair.” Cor eyes the movement in the dark before leading them to the end of the balcony, where the path has crumbled. 

“We have to cross here?” Prompto taps his foot against the ledge. Debris falls at the touch, gathering in a pile of rubble below.

“Don’t look down.” Cor scoots along the wall, and there is enough space that only the toes of his boots hang over. Prompto glances at his own feet. They’re smaller than Cor’s, but not by much. He might have a slight advantage that way, but it’s a good bet he’ll fall to his death before they ever meet these daemons.

Steyliff is the stuff of nightmares. The group navigates through changing corridors, but the worst of it is when a giant with a sword leaps down onto a bridge and sends them tumbling to the level below. The crumbled stone at the bottom knocks the wind out of Prompto as he falls against it. He remains on his side until Cor helps him to his feet.

“You okay?” Cor cracks a potion against his back and the cool curative sooths the hot throbbing pain within seconds.

“Yeah, I’m good. Nothing scary here.”

“Good, ‘cos we’ve got company.”

The giant that knocked them down leaps to their level. The ground trembles beneath them. Prompto takes out his gun and aims, trying to avoid his companions in the line of fire. His shot hits the giant in the chest, but it has no more impact than a pebble against a brick wall. 

He rolls to the side as the giant takes a swing with its broad sword. The air rushes around the blade, a whoosh that sends a chill down Prompto’s spine.

“I’m done with this place,” he says to no one in particular.

Prompto lifts his head in time to catch Aranea leaping into the air and coming down on the daemon with her lance. It takes multiple hits from the team as they come at it in waves, and Prompto aims more shots that seem to do nothing more than chip at its armor. When Gladiolus hits the chest with his sword, it reveals a red core beneath. Prompto’s shot at that spot hits deep enough to do some damage. The giant stumbles back as the bullet sinks in, but it doesn’t down the daemon.

That doesn’t stop their efforts. It’s a dance around the creature, taking aim at its vulnerable core whenever there is an opening.

When it finally sinks to its knees and dissolves, they only have a few seconds to recover before they’re accompanied by several goblin-like creatures, all identical to the one that visited them in the cabin the night before last. They’re less difficult to pick off. With eight against five of them, it doesn’t take but a few blows to kill them. Their blood bubbles on the ground until there’s no trace that anything was ever there but stones and dust.

Prompto wants to wake up from this nightmare. Vesperpool trip? There was never a trip out to the lake! He dreamed it all up. He drank too much caffeine the day before, and now he’s having the strangest series of dreams. He’ll wake up and be late for his college courses.

And then it appears. The green fire they spotted earlier hovers around a figure in the dark, and as it comes closer, Prompto sees them orbiting a specter. What little of its body is visible beneath its fraying clothes is nothing more than skeleton. Prompto recognizes it from horror films he used to watch with Noctis. A lich. 

“Okay, now I really want to wake up,” he says, slapping his cheeks.

“Get ready!” Cor is the first to strike, beating the enemy away from the group with several swifts strikes of his katana. The figure hovers away from him, Cor’s blade swishing the fraying threads.

Prompto loads the gun with shaky fingers, keeping an eye out around him. He catches Ignis’ eyes, noting that the other man is doing the same. Where one enemy appears, there might be others. But nothing else approaches—no daemons rise from the ground around them. The lich casts a spell, and Ignis leaps in front of Noctis. They manage to dodge just in time as a ray of red light cuts through the darkness.

Prompto runs over to help them to their feet. He sees Gladiolus rush toward the lich with his sword raised. Nothing ticks off Gladiolus more than someone hurting Noctis. It could be a drunk yelling at Noctis, or it could be a daemon threatening his life. Who knew it would _ever_ be a daemon.

Prompto doesn’t see what’s going on behind him as he helps Ignis and Noctis stand. He gives them each a pat on the back and cocks his gun at the lich. It’s hard to take a good shot when the others are pelting it with attacks and standing in his line of vision. And what can a bullet do to something made of bone and cloth and magic?

He takes a shot. It leaves a hole in the rags draped around the specter, and the lich reels back.

“I did it!” He high-fives Noctis before the prince dives into the battle with his sword out. He sets the blade through where the heart should be if the daemon were a human. The lich disappears in a wisp of smoke.

The ruins around them quiet. All they can hear is dripping water in the distance and the echoes of their boots on the stone floors.

No one says anything. Perhaps they’re all thinking what Prompto is—that if they vocalize their good fortune or accomplishments, another daemon will appear, worse than the last. But as they make their way back up to the entrance, they encounter no more enemies. 

Prompto is sore as they slosh through the water and take in the fresh air. He inhales deeply, eyes closed. This is what it is like to be alive. He feels pretty good about his contributions to the fight. They’ve worked as a team, and with any luck, they’ll sleep well for the remainder of the early morning hours.

Then they can go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh I'm glad I wrote Gladio seeing that room in Steyliff. I think he would appreciate it, 'cos it is beautiful...


	9. Chapter 9

It is quiet, and Noctis has never been happier since their ill-fated vacation started. He falls asleep on the sofa in the girl’s cabin after their return from Steyliff. No one wakes him until noon, when Ignis insists he eat something for lunch. It’s a good thing, too—despite that this is the superior cabin between the two they rented, the couch isn’t the best place to sleep. Noctis stretches out his back and whimpers as it aches in protest. Part of the pain might be that he traversed creepy ruins the night before and fought daemons. That isn’t usually part of his daily routine.

Noctis can sleep through anything, and there seems to be a lot going on around him. In the corner near the door, Cor and Gladiolus are busy packing anything they won’t need for the night or next morning. Iris and Ignis move pans and dishes around as they cook lunch. Prompto chatters to them while hanging over the counter. Aranea and Luna are playing a game of cards, and from the look on Aranea’s face, Luna is winning.

Noctis yawns and drags himself to the dining table. Prompto joins him a few minutes later, snagging the seat across from him.

“Hey buddy. Did you sleep well?”

“I could use a few more hours.” Days would be better. He doesn’t want to return home to his duties as prince or a student at Insomnia University; he would rather curl up under the covers and spend a week in bed. 

“Do you want to go fishing after lunch? It’s your last chance!”

Fishing. How he would love a week for that, too. He meant to do that for hours once he got out to the park, but the whole Steyliff incident ruined all his chances to indulge in his favorite sport.

“Sure. They didn’t pack my gear, did they?”

“No. Gladiolus packed our tent, too, but that’s only because he’s not sure about sleeping outside—even though everyone’s confident we took care of the daemon problem.” 

Sleeping in a tent sounds like a terrible way to spend the evening. Noctis would rather take his chances with the sofa again.

“What if you set it up in Gladio’s backyard when we get back?”

Prompto’s face lights up. “Yeah, you’re right!”

Ignis serves them all a lunch of toasted sandwiches and milkshakes. It feels almost like a normal vacation. Noctis flips through a fishing brochure while he eats. It’ll be a good afternoon. He has his favorite lures packaged with his fishing gear, there are no daemons, and Ignis is coming with him while everyone else takes a hike around the lake.

“Hey, Specs! Make sure you don’t pack the grill. I’m bringing fish back tonight!”

~*~

The evening passes without incident. Cor insists on sleeping in the old cabin, and Prompto and Gladiolus go along with him if only to have a proper bed. Everyone else stays at the other cabin, but Prompto actually enjoys their final night in their original rental. How could he not, with Gladiolus wrapped around him? 

The next morning, they stumble to the already-packed cars. They’re crammed in like sardines because neither vehicle is large and they have a lot of gear plus the entire Crownsguard armory to bring back.

Luckily for them, Ignis and Cor agree to drive, and both of them know how to drive fast. Cor knows how to drive too fast—he zooms Luna’s car along as a steady speed, taking the winding roads too fast for comfort. Prompto thinks he’ll die at first, but Cor seems to have everything under control. It gives him a chance to take out his camera and snap some pictures.

He didn’t get many photos back at the lake. A few of Noctis sleeping at the docks the night before, another of Aranea and Iris bonding over a shared fondness for weaponry, and a few scenic shots from the hike.

All in all, it hasn’t been a bad vacation. Cindy even called Noctis that morning and let them know she would be driving the fixed Regalia into the city tomorrow. Maybe Regis won’t kill Prompto, now that his beloved car has been fixed.

It’s been a pretty good vacation. Prompto never plans to go back, but maybe he’ll make do with a camping trip behind the Amicitia manor. Gladiolus has already promised him one, and Prompto intends to hold him to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's over! Hope you enjoyed this silliness, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I think even in real life, when you hate something but decide that it probably isn't so bad, it turns out to be worse than your fears imagined :')
> 
> I only feel a little sorry for them


End file.
